Israel’s courts and prosecutors on Thursday addressed three separate sexual offense cases, two resulting in lengthy prison sentences and one in the filing of a new indictment involving a minor, highlighting the justice system’s handling of serious crimes involving vulnerable victims and breaches of trust.
Jerusalem: Abuse of stepdaughter
In Jerusalem, the District Court sentenced a defendant to 12 years’ imprisonment, a suspended sentence, and financial compensation to the complainant, after convicting him - following an evidentiary hearing - of committing repeated sexual offenses against his teenage stepdaughter over the course of approximately one year.
According to the verdict, the offenses began after the defendant married the complainant’s mother, when the girl was around 15-years-old, and occurred on multiple occasions, both inside the family home and elsewhere.
The court convicted the defendant of 11 counts of sexual intercourse with a minor family member, multiple counts of sodomy against a minor family member, and multiple counts of indecent acts against a minor family member, while acquitting him of charges relating to another stepdaughter.
During sentencing arguments, prosecutor Yifat Pinhasi-Nevo, said the offenses were committed over an extended period while exploiting severe family distress and a complex domestic situation. Prosecutors stated that the defendant gained the complainant’s trust and abused it, causing serious harm to the complainant, her mother, and the family as a whole.
The prosecution described the conduct as deliberate and methodical, including the strengthening of the relationship with the complainant and a gradual escalation in severity, and noted that the defendant documented some of the acts without the complainant’s knowledge.
Citing the significant age gap, the defendant’s failure to accept responsibility, and his lack of remorse, the prosecution sought a sentence of 16 years’ imprisonment, along with a suspended sentence, compensation, and an order to destroy the phone used to document some of the offenses. The court ultimately imposed a 12-year sentence.
In its ruling, the court wrote that the defendant entered the family presenting himself as someone seeking to improve its circumstances, showed affection toward the complainant - who even referred to him as “Dad” - but in practice manipulated the situation to exploit her.
Attorney Ravit Zilberfarb, representing the complainant on behalf of the Justice Ministry’s Legal Aid Department, said the minor victim demonstrated considerable courage by exposing the abuse while it was ongoing and testifying in court, despite her young age and the difficulty of disclosing harm within the family.
Tel Aviv: Exploitation of vulnerable women
In a separate case, Avraham Yaakov Perlmutter, 44, from Bnei Brak was sentenced at the Tel Aviv District Court to eight years in prison after pleading guilty as part of a plea agreement to a series of serious offenses against seven particularly vulnerable women.
According to the court, the victims included women who were homeless, struggling with substance addiction, or engaged in prostitution. The offenses included acts committed after the women were rendered unable to resist, as well as additional demeaning conduct. As part of the plea agreement, Perlmutter was also ordered to pay NIS 180,000 in compensation, which he deposited in advance.
Perlmutter pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including supplying drugs, use of a dangerous poison, indecent acts, abuse of a helpless person, theft, invasion of privacy, and depriving victims of the ability to resist. The amended indictment stated that he deliberately incapacitated the women, during which he abused them and violated their privacy.
The court found that Perlmutter secretly documented intimate encounters using concealed recording equipment installed in his home, without the women’s knowledge or consent.
In sentencing arguments, prosecutor Lilach Shtibel, requested an exceptionally severe sentence, citing multiple victims, a consistent pattern of conduct, exploitation, humiliation, and planning. Prosecutors argued that Perlmutter deliberately targeted women in extreme distress, exploiting power imbalances and their limited ability to seek help.
In the sentencing decision, Judge Shmuel Melamed wrote that Perlmutter exploited the women’s vulnerable circumstances while presenting himself as a benefactor, including through the use of a religious appearance to establish trust, thereby gaining emotional and physical control over them. The judge added that the defendant carefully selected victims from the social margins, knowing they would face significant barriers to filing complaints.
The court further stated that the shaving of the women’s hair in three cases constituted a sadistic and degrading act intended to humiliate and cause lasting harm, and that the documentation of the victims in such circumstances amounted to a grave violation of dignity and privacy.
Beersheba: Indictment filed over offense against minor
In a third case, prosecutors filed an indictment with the Beersheba District Court against Yishmabel Beina, 63 from Beersheba, accusing him of committing a sexual offense against a 14-year-old girl.
According to the indictment, the incident occurred on December 14, 2025, when the complainant was alone in her home. The defendant, a friend of the complainant’s father, arrived at the apartment and entered after the girl mistakenly believed he was a family member.
Prosecutors allege that during his presence in the apartment, the defendant engaged in inappropriate conduct, after which the complainant managed to escape and seek help from a neighbor. The defendant then left the scene, according to the indictment.
The prosecution further alleged that two days after the incident, the defendant contacted several community figures and asked them to approach the complainant’s mother in an effort to persuade her to give testimony in his matter.
Beina was charged with indecent acts and solicitation to obstruct an investigation, and prosecutors filed a request for his detention until the conclusion of legal proceedings.